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Local Spotlight: Interviews with Four Female Composers

Posted by Kelsey McConnell · 3/8/2017 9:22:16 AM

On the first Saturday of every month, Arts Alive brings you the Local Composers Project – shining a spotlight on music makers in Southern California’s dynamic creative scene. Below we are three interviews from our collection showcasing the dynamism of women in classical music.

Julia Adolphe

Julia Adolpheis this year’s commissioned composer for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s Sound Investment program. Sound Investment composers meet regularly with LACO patrons to share their creative process as they work on the piece that eventually be premiered by LACO. This weekend, Adolphe’s piece gets its premiere. She told KUSC the Sound Investment process makes the composer vulnerable, but she was grateful for the opportunity to talk about her work as it was forming.

Reena Esmail

Photo by Rachel Garcia

Reena Esmail says after studying western classical music for decades, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing – both from the music itself, and the musicians she was working alongside. Then she discovered Indian classical music and musicians, and she began to combine both traditions in her own compositions. Now, her pieces are performed around the country by renowned orchestras and ensembles like Kronos Quartet and Imani Winds. She also has a relationship with LA’s Street Symphony, which brings live music to Skid Row. The next local concert of her work is this June with the Salastina Music Society.

Veronika Krausas

Veronika Krausas, a music professor at USC, has written chamber music, electronic music, concertos and an opera. She composed music for The Industry’s car-based opera, Hopscotch, and the LA Phil recently played her Porcupine for five double basses as part of their Noon to Midnight program. But when she was young, she thought she’d have to change her name to Oliver if she ever wanted to compose, because “there are no women composers, you have to be a male.” Eventually, she realized she could compose and create under her own name and she’s been doing just that ever since.

Dale Trumbore

Photo by Krysti Sabins

Dale Trumbore says the intimacy of working with the human voice inspired her to become a choral composer. She studied with Morten Lauridsen at USC (she says he’s definitely not afraid to tell you what he thinks), and now she combines her own singing background with her love of language to set poetry and prose to music for choirs across the nation, including SoCal’s own LA Master Chorale. Later this month, she’s releasing an album of her work called “How To Go On.”